HL7 refers to Health Level 7. Formed by Health Level Seven International which is a non-profit organization, it provides a comprehensive and well-structured framework for the exchange, integration, implementation, sharing, and retrieval of the health information of people. Supported by various bodies in the healthcare sector, HL7 has been implanted and accepted by more than 1600 members in more than 50 countries. Various government stakeholders, payers, pharmaceutical employees, companies, vendors, firms, healthcare service providers, and more are affected by this standard.

Let’s have a deeper look at HL7.

What is HL7 and how does it work?

In the digital age, everything is data, and everything is connected. Medical information is now being stored in digital files meaning data. When computer systems feed information of patients, there is a proper record and this might be used for patient tracking. Since the healthcare sector is very large, it needs to communicate with other systems and while receiving new information previous information needs to be retrieved. So HL7 lays down standards, methods, and a set of guidelines for healthcare systems to communicate with other systems. When these standards are met, the data can be shared and processed in an organized manner. These standards are used for easy sharing and minimizing the risk factors.

HL7 works on the application layer of systems following the OSI model of application designing. Let’s not jump into technical aspects and understand that these rules allow the safe exchange of data between different systems.

Components of HL7 Message Structure

Let’s talk about different elements of HL7 message structure, which is its major contribution over previous versions. HL7 messages are used for building communication between disparate healthcare systems. The main feature is that HL7 messages are formed in a human-readable format. ASCII code is used here. The major components are –

HL7 Segments

Each segment of the HL7 message is containing one particular section of information. For example, one segment will have patient information while the other will have his/her visit data. The first field of the segment will denote the name of the segment. In HL7 messages, more than 120 different segments are available.

HL7 Composites

Each segment in the HL7 message will contain composites also. Composites mean fields here. These are formed by primitive data types, for example, character string or number. Sometimes sub composites are also present. Characters like | (pipe), & (ampersand), and ^ are used to separate composites in the HL7 message.

Delimiter Characters

Certain special characters which are used for separating composites and segments are used in HL7 messages and these are called delimiters. Following default, characters are used-

            0x0D   Denotes segment end

            |           Composite Delimiter

            ^          Sub-composite Delimiter

            &         Sub-sub-composite Delimiter

            ~          Separates repeating segments

            \           Escape Delimiter

Why is it needed by Healthcare Sector?

An important question. Healthcare providers and specialists need to access data through multiple electronic systems to oversee the complete profile and medical history of the patient. This is easy for a local hospital but when a patient goes to a big hospital in another city, then retrieving information can become tricky. Since the data is being exchanged between two systems that are incorporated in two different areas, certain standards and rules need to be followed by both sides. Fast Healthcare Interoperability Resources (FHIR) comes into play here and this standard makes sure that messaging format HLv2 and others are exercised.

These standards act as a bridge through which healthcare systems and modern information technology can interact. Immersive data structure and digital technology allow the healthcare system to be efficient in providing good services.

Healthcare systems use tons of applications daily, like radiology, laboratory and patient administrative systems, MRI, and more. This data is constantly circulated among different systems for the proper working of healthcare systems. Communication and especially a protected and well-managed communication link becomes really important here. Visibility over data but in a protected way is an imminent need by healthcare and these HL7 standards will allow that to happen.

When data can be efficiently integrated across systems and exposed cohesively, it will reduce the risk of information failure and enhance the feasibility of healthcare workers and systems.

Benefits of HL7 Use

Using HL7 in EHR systems in healthcare will lead to the following benefits-

1. HL7 will help in creating a single, flexible, and worldwide set of standards that will control the exchange of clinical data.
2. Easy exchange of complex and private patient data such as records, lab reports, and test results through healthcare applications will be facilitated.
3. End-users will be able to interpret the data easily and it will smoothen the process of electronic data exchange.
4. Will improve the healthcare services across multiple networks due to integration of healthcare solutions.
5. HL7 will support almost all the healthcare systems around the world leading to better interoperability and healthcare-specific formatted messages

Conclusion

So we have seen that HL7 is the standard of the future and it is being used by almost all of the systems in the healthcare sector. Aventior is one such company that provides healthcare cloud services integrated with HL7 technology. Fastest customization using Salesforce-based EMR have HL7 and FHIR as core data architecture providing the most advanced benefits of this standard to all the transactions and data transfer. To know more, please feel free to write to us at info@aventior.com.

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What is FHIR?

FHIR stands for Fast Healthcare Interoperability Resources. Created by HL7, it creates a data exchange standard for various medical software. Providing secure data exchange in the case of EMR, Diagnostic Data, PHI, and more, is the most popular and favored exchange for a variety of applications and software used in the medical field.

What does it achieve?

FHIR is good because it combines the features of HL7 with the latest web standards. Increased interoperability in the healthcare system is the major benefit i.e new information can be exchanged more securely between phone apps, electronic health records, on healthcare system’s servers, and many other places.

The primary goal of FHIR is to standardize and simplify the method through which healthcare data was exchanged before. Now, by using it, healthcare managers, service providers, and consumers will be able to share information in a trouble-free manner by any kind of software.

Cost-effective care is a major benefit derived from the use of FHIR. FHIR uses Application Programming Interfaces (APIs) to simplify the system integration module. It achieves a fast, easy, and better way to transmit ever-increasing medical data in the market. Lightweight and real-time data exchange are allowed through this protocol.

The major contribution of FHIR to the healthcare industry is –

• Easy implementation
• Lower bar for the entry of developers
• Free to use
• Out-of-box interoperability
• Flexible due to the ability of adaptation in base resources
• Strong foundation in Web Standards

How Does It Benefit the Healthcare Systems?

The main benefit of FHIR in the healthcare industry is that it will help the payers immensely. Due to the most up-to-date standard for the exchange of data, FHIR will allow the modification of the implementers leading to extensibility without violating the core standards. And there is no hassle during the actual exchange. Let’s have a look at major benefits that the healthcare sector can derive from FHIR-

1. Holistic Patient Experience

FHIR is empowering patients. Due to extreme simplicity in the implementation and integration of this protocol across a wide array of applications and software, patients will have control over their information and how they are going to share it with the healthcare provider. This will increase their faith in the industry and will allow them to make good decisions about their treatment.

2. Automated Data Structure Facility

When clinical support is asked for providers and professionals in the healthcare industry, automated data structuring plays a major role. A value-based approach is followed during the exchange of data between the service providers and consumers. With FHIR, better care management will be facilitated and holistic plus a trustworthy patient experience will lead to cost savings on both ends.

3. Improvement in Clinical Treatment

When healthcare providers will have easy access to EMR and patient-related information, it will lead to better conditions in treatment and improve the efficiency of the system. Patient data is the backbone of good treatment in the healthcare industry. Especially during the research and diagnosis of the reports, previous medical records and treatment history plays a major role. With the implementation of the FHIR and the rest of the web services, data sharing standards will allow safe and easy exchange of data which will lead to efficiency and fast data sharing.

4. Enhancement in Data Management

Real-time records will be available leading to improved data management. Data accuracy will be increased. Since, in real-time, data is derived from multiple sources across the globe from various platforms, systems, and software, it will add up to a large volume. Management of this whole data will require fast accessing and exchange across systems which is the core benefit of FHIR.

5. Specific FHIR for Specific Clinical Use

FHIR works on the unique identifier and uses APIs for integration. Healthcare systems will be better connected by the use of FHIR and it can be used for specific protocols in specific clinical use without disturbing the overall API of the system. Resources of FHIR can be used separately with different developers to create a link where accessing is easy and classified.

6. Easy Third-Party Integration

Each healthcare provider wants a separate system for their organization. They use a variety of third-party software as per their cost-effectiveness. The best thing about FHIR is that it works well with third-party apps and software and provides easy integration. So there is no need for specific software or systems. It works well with any kind of software.

7. Patient Benefits

FHIR is good for patients as it will allow them to track their medical records using any recommended healthcare app or software. They will get a clear-cut picture of their clinical data. For example, Apple’s Health app for iOS pulls the information of the patient from various EHRs and other health organizations using FHIR. Now, the patient can look into his/her data using the phone and have a full picture of the stats.

Conclusion

FHIR is the future of data interchange in the healthcare sector and by looking at various benefits for both the system provider and consumer (patients) we can say that the future is good. It will surely give a boost to the healthcare system and will help in making a holistic environment where better services are provided with safe and secure data exchange. For further inquiries, feel free to email at info@aventior.com.

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Augmented reality isn’t a new concept. With the advancement of sensory technology, excellent quality of camera and software augmented reality has experimented widely now. However, one should not confuse it with virtual reality. Virtual reality is wherein a new 3D world is created and the person loses his touch with the real world. In the case of augmented reality, the surrounding objects in the real world are simply enhanced. Few examples of apps that use AR are IKEA, Google Sky Map, L’Oreal make-up, and SpotCrime. Google Glass is another AR platform that was developed and had become quite popular as well.

Augmented Reality & Healthcare

One of the best usages of AR is in the field of healthcare due to its distinctive features. Instead of visualization, using displays and sensors one can see what goes inside the human body. AR can help in patient education where doctors can explain surgical procedures easily. Google glass that uses AR was first used in an operation by Dr. Rafael Grossman. Augmented reality will be a boon to medical professionals as well as for future research & education purposes.

Implementation of Augmented reality in Healthcare

Benefit for the Patient

Most of the time patients are unable to explain their symptoms properly to the doctor. They are unsure about their actual health condition in the present and the future. With augmented reality, patients are in a better position to address their concerns. They can use the AR app to check their symptoms and their real state of health. Also, the doctors will be able to show them the effects of the present lifestyle and persuade patients to bring in positive changes. The patients need not read the long list of drug descriptions of prescribed medicine. With the 3D AR technology, they can see how the drug works within their body.

Consultation using AR

Motherhood is a tiring and testing time for a new mother. During the initial day’s breastfeeding, mothers find it difficult to feed her child properly due to various reasons. A company based out of Melbourne conducted a Google glass test in association with the Australian breastfeeding association. The mothers were able to share their perspectives with experts and were able to find solutions to their problems while breastfeeding. This could happen only due to the AR-enabled technology of Google glass. The problem can be shared in real-time and the issues can be resolved at the earliest.

Life-saving information

Augmented reality helps to store crucial life-saving information on apps. For example, Radboud University of Netherlands created an AED4EU AR-driven app for the phone. One can easily download it and use it with the Layar browser. This app can tell you the exact location of automated external defibrillators. During an emergency, one can have access to such an extremely life-saving piece of information.

Benefits for nurses & surgeons

It is tough to find a vein to draw blood from the hand or to inject intravenous shots. With the usage of AR hand-held scanner technology, the nurse can see the vein and draw blood or give the shot. The patients are relieved to have found the vein in the first attempt itself. It saves time and ensures the elderly or children need not face undue duress while taking a shot.

Surgeons can depend upon 3D AR and can operate with precision. The success rates of many complex surgeries will increase. Unnecessary risks can be avoided. They can use image reconstruction technology to reconstruct any tumor. This will give an x-ray view to doctors in real-time and they will be able to locate the tumor in any part of the body to operate on. The level of difficulty and risk is lessened to a great extend using AR.

Motivate people

To be in good health is the need of the hour. But at times we take health for granted. We either give-up exercising or maintaining a good lifestyle. AR helps to show the present state of health of the body, motivating people to change their present lifestyle. Using AR we can make boring activities like a run or walk more pleasurable. There are certain AR apps available, for instance, the Zombie run that helps you to run daily by converting your daily run task to a game format. All this ensures people take steps towards better health.

Benefits for the pharmaceutical company & researchers

Researchers can use augmented reality tools to check and monitor the result of their ongoing experiments in healthcare. In the pharma company, the workers can have access to AR apps understand the functionality of various devices. The requirement of on-the-job training can be done away with. This would save time and money usually spent on imparting training.

Education & Training

Medical students can have access to the human body in 3D AR. This makes learning not only interesting but also brings in more clarity. They can see the muscles, veins, and tissues in the holographic model using AR-based apps.

Conclusion

Augmented reality technology is a boon to healthcare. Presently we are at the experimental stage with AR, but soon it would be used in a full-fledged manner. From assisting surgeons in surgeries to staff training to patient rehab programs everything will be done using the AR technology with ease. People will be able to analyze their health in real-time and take precautionary measures to maintain good health in the future. AR is a game-changer & the future of the healthcare system

If you have any questions on our offerings in the AR/VR space and our work in healthcare, email us at info@aventior.com.

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Real-World Data

The Real-World data (RWD) as the name states is collated from the various routine-care delivered and not just from clinical treatment rendered. The data is sourced from medical data records like prescriptions, lab reports, government datasets, surveys taken by the patient, data from device registries, clinical registries, and more.

Real-World Data gives a true representation of health and the care opted by the people. This data is analyzed in a structured manner to derive Real-World evidence. It is the compilation of the usage data of various medical products. Real-World Evidence (RWE) is defined by the US Food & Drug Administration (FDA) as “the clinical evidence regarding usage and potential benefits or risks of a medical product derived from analysis of real-world data.”
The actual usage of this evidence is to bridge the gap between the research results and the actual usage results of various medical products used by people. There are many ways RWE is redefining healthcare and improving the healthcare spectrum.

How is RWE used in healthcare?

Let us see how RWE is used presently in various fields of medicine for research and other purposes:

1. Clinical Trials
   Researchers conduct various clinical trials before they zero-in on the final product. The traditional method of clinical trials has various shortcomings, as it is conducted within a small trial group. With RWE the data collated is from a larger group with various demographics. This gives the researchers a wide range of possibilities for conducting clinical trials.
   Also, they can gauge the end-result of the product as RWE has data of people who have used the product and how it had worked.
2. Pre-trial research in Life Science studies
   The researchers benefit from RWE and can form an accurate pre-trial design, as they can include various pre-trail criteria. This makes the clinical trial more effective.
3. Product review
   Pharmaceutical companies are best benefitted by RWE. They develop a product or medicine and RWE helps them to get a real-time preview of their products. This leads to further research and development of the products. One classic example is the drug Viagra. It was introduced to lower blood pressure and RWE showed it helps with erectile dysfunction. Presently it is used widely for erectile dysfunction issues.
4. Regulatory approval by FDA
   The RWE derived from the data is analyzed extensively that its effectiveness is undeniable. FDA has laid down clear guidelines as to how the RWE can be used to get approval for new drugs or products introduced by companies. FDA has allowed post-market studies to be included while seeking its approval. This simplifies the approval granting procedure.
5. Easier Regulatory approval for pharmaceutical companies
   It would be difficult to conduct a full-fledged clinical trial for a certain segment of medicines. Pharmaceutical companies can study the data available about their existing products & drugs. This data can also be included to get approval from FDA for the newer product or drugs developed under the same category.
6. Study-cases for Doctors
   The doctors can use the RWE to decide the most effective or the best-suited treatment for patients. They can refer to the available case-studies and their effects for patients with similar demographics. The doctor is in a better position to decide the course of treatment. He can easily study the effects, benefits, and side-effects of certain treatments through RWE. The doctor can also optimize the drug dosages after studying the past treatment history.
7. Research & Development
   The RWE helps in the further betterment of healthcare. The available data and evidence help the researchers to develop products & drugs to perform at the optimal level.
8. Assessment of healthcare system
   Regulators and administrators can use RWE to study their healthcare system performance. It provides comparative data of the doctors and their treatment protocol.
   As the sources to gather data are widening; doctors, researchers, and companies have an abundance of data and evidence to develop a better health care system. It helps in taking calculated decisions & treatment options thereby reducing the risk factor to a greater extend. People are open and willing to share their experience with drugs & treatments. This gives ample scope for future research and development in medical science. Real-world evidence has become a game-changer for the healthcare system.

Aventior’s contribution to Healthcare

Aventior has been closely working with pharma, biotech, and diagnostics to provide the technical support to build a digital ecosystem. The importance of AI for analyzing data is known to Aventior and hence have developed AI-based solutions and platforms to help pharma & biotech companies with research & development.

Aventior offers a Data Restructuring & Analytics platform to disparate data and for better data management via visualization. Aventior’s CPV-Auto^TM Automation can be used to digitize batch records. It can convert any unstructured data into a standardized format. We also provide various Label Extraction solutions to retrieve and store data from digital pathology slides. If you would like to know more or have any further inquiries, please free to contact us at info@aventior.com.

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